Carriers that grip the upper portions of articles so as to suspend them when lifted and carried are known, particularly in connection with the packaging of beverage cans. One type of paperboard carrier employs arcuate slots in a bottom panel for receiving opposite portions of the can chimes, with the adjacent bottom panel edges resulting from the slot formation engaging the underside of the can chime portions. This is typically employed in packages comprised of two adjacent rows of cans, so that the elongated area of the bottom panel between the interior slots folds into wedge-shaped reinforcing ribs extending between the sloped upper portions of the cans. Short side panels connect the bottom panel to top panel flaps, which are glued to the bottom panel, and aligned finger openings in the top panel and in the reinforcing wedge enable the package to be lifted and carried. Although such a carrier has been employed commercially, there is a need in certain product markets for a more economical carrier. The problem in economizing the carrier, which involves reducing the amount of paperboard required by the design, is to accomplish it without impairing the ability of the carrier to withstand the severe stresses to which it is subjected during use.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a carrier which retains the benefits of known paperboard clip-type carriers, but in addition provides greater economy of manufacture.